A city centre law firm has been closed and two solicitors suspended in a financial and fitness to practise probe by legal regulators.

Robert Meaton & Co, based at Oxford Court on Bishopsgate in Manchester, has been shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority,

The SRA said it ‘intervenes’ in law firms to protect clients’ interests and money in the public interest.

The practising certificates of partners Andrew John Davies and Stephen Astin have been automatically suspended, barring them from practising as solicitors during the on-going investigation.

The authority said there was ‘reason to suspect dishonesty’ on the part of Mr Davies. It added that both men had failed to comply with rules made by sections of the Solicitors Act 1974, which relate to accountancy and financial matters and fitness to practise.

An SRA spokesman said: “We stop the firm from operating, take possession of all documents and papers held by the firm, including clients’ papers, and take possession of all money held by the firm, including clients’ money. We are not responsible towards employees or trade creditors of firms that we have intervened in.

“At this stage of the SRA’s work, no further details can be disclosed.”

The firm, based at Bartle House, was launched by the late Robert Meaton in 2005. Its website has been closed down and the phone line was out of service when the M.E.N. called for comment.

A separate law firm, Stephensons Solicitors, has now been appointed to deal with the firm’s cases and queries from its clients.

The SRA said the agent, solicitor Neal Boland, would assess all on-going matters and ‘deal with those of greatest need first’. The spokesman added that the SRA’s archive team would take control of all documents held by the firm.

He added that disciplinary proceedings could either be a sanction by the SRA if agreed by independent adjudicators or a large fine. Solicitors can also be removed from the practicing roll.

The M.E.N. revealed a separate SRA probe in April into Orbis Solicitors, based in Bury town centre. The firm was closed and owner and managing director Anne Bradley’s practising certificate allowing her to operate as a solicitor was automatically suspended. The SRA said that investigation was continuing.